Mauritius designated Ameenah Gurib-Fakim as its first woman President

The Government of Mauritius on 1 June 2015 designated Ameenah Gurib-Fakim as new President of the Indian Ocean island nation.

Ameenah, an internationally-renowned scientist and biologist, will be the first woman to hold the ceremonial position of President of Mauritius. Now, her appointment is subject to approval by the Parliament, which is supposed to be done by 4 June 2015.

After final approval from the Parliament, Ameenah will be the first female president of the nation, which gained independence from Britain in 1968 and replaced Britain's Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state in 1992.

Her name was designated after former President Kailash Purryag stepped down from his post on 29 May 2015. He served the country as its President since July 2012 and was appointed to the post by previous Labour party government of former Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam.